Support Services





Shelters/Housing

Peoples Emergency Center (PEC) – PEC helps homeless families through helter and housing, as well as on-site counseling, employment, parenting and children’s programs.

Office of Emergency Shelter Services (OESS) – Offers network of shelters, boarding homes, and refers families, couples and single individuals to available housing resources.

Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) – Affordable housing for city residents with limited incomes.

Housing Counseling - Intercultural Family Services – Encourages and assists participants to become homeowners and enhances their home management skills.

Philadelphia Fair Housing Commission – Helps citizens file a complaints about unfair rental practices.

Emergency Child Care:

Sally Watson Center – The center provides 24 hour emergency child care for children birth to 5 years who might be at risk of abuse or severe neglect. Call 215-844-6931 for more information.

Food Banks:

Philabundance – The region's largest hunger relief organization. Their mission is to end hunger and malnutrition in the Delaware Valley by acquiring food and distributing it through organizations serving people in need.

Food Trust – The Food Trust works to improve the health of children and adults, promote good nutrition, increase access to nutritious foods.

Welfare Benefits:

Department of Public Welfare – Apply for benefits through the DPW website.

Philadelphia Department of Public Health Programs:

Maternal, Child and Family Health Programs – MCFH provides a wide range of services to improve the health of women, children, and parenting families.

Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention – The CLPPP provides protection for children at risk for lead poisoning.

Ambulatory Health – Ambulatory Health Services (AHS) manages Philadelphia's eight Health Care Centers. It monitors pharmacy and laboratory services in the Health Centers, as well.

AIDS Activity Coordinating Office (AACO) – All information on free HIV/AIDS test site locations and how to access programs and services can be obtained confidentially from Health Information Hotline: 1-800-985-AIDS.

Social Service Agencies:

Intercultural Family Services – Provides a variety of services to stabilize, strengthen, and unite families and diverse communities.

Congreso de Latinos – Congreso's mission is to strengthen Latino communities through social, economic, education, and health services.

Germantown Settlement - G.S. enhances the quality of life for more than 200,000 low-to-moderate income residents within the Greater Germantown community every year.

Maternity Care Coalition – MCC's goal is to improve maternal and child health and well-being.